Monticello and Manassas National Battlefield Park
We have managed to fit in two more learning days on the go! We visited Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello, in Virginia. We did the slavery tour and the tour of his home. We had an amazing time… Not only because of the incredible weather, but also because of how much we learned. The Monticello plantation was about 5,000 acres. At any one time, Thomas Jefferson owned around 130 slaves. One thing that really struck us, was how wrapped up Jefferson’s wealth was in his slaves. I didn’t write down the exact figures, but his land was worth around $2,700 while his slaves were worth $37,000. What a contrast between his words (that slavery was an “abominable crime”) and his life-long ownership of slaves.
Below are photos of Monticello with the tulips in bloom. There is a picture of one of the small slave cottages that would have housed 8 or more people. It is tiny!
We also visited Manassas National Battlefield Park, also in Virginia recently. This is a National Park that has tours about the First and Second Battle of Bull Run. The First Battle of Bull Run was, of course, the first battle of the Civil War. The Union expected a quick victory, but it was not to be. The Confederates won the battle and succeeded in capturing eight of the Union cannons. The tour was amazing and what was incredible about standing in those fields was just how close the cannons were to one another. The tour and the film were amazing. I won’t go into detail here, but this is the battle where “Stonewall” Jackson got his nickname. There is a statue of him on his horse in the photo below.
So, with our travels and the full days of school (when we’re here!!) I haven’t had too much time to work on posts. But, our homeschool is still going really well (especially when you consider all the vicarious learning!) 🙂
We’re doing some projects and reading several books about the Middle Ages. We’re doing a number of great activities in German (and I’m excited to share that with you when I can get the time!). And, we’re moving along with our human body unit. We’re currently studying the Skeletal System again and we’re in the middle of a couple fun projects with that!
Hope you are doing well too! See you again soon here or at our Homeschool Den Facebook Page! ~Liesl
